Best of PinkNews: Tory chairman declares his old anti-gay policies “immoral”

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This is a sad story yet has rays of hope.
The ‘trouble’ with the Tories’ claims of ‘modernising’ is that they think that the things we were demanding, say twenty years ago, are the criteria to aim for.
Times have moved on again and they are left trailing.

I’m talking about right now. one example labour funded future jobs fund for long term unemployed under 25s the condems scrapped that I worked work with some brilliant people with that scheme. this story is a distraction from the brokeback coalition comment well done pn.

Francis Maude is my MP, and whilst I don’t support the Conservatives, he’s not a bad person, honestly. I’ve heard him talk on social issues such as homophobia and he’s genuinely supportive of LGBT rights. Whilst it’s true the Tories have been closed minded about gay rights, the gay community also needs to start being more open minded about the Tories.

I think it was Michael Moore who pointed out that Republicans in the states only tend to come out in support of inclusionist/liberal policies when they begin to see the way they apply to their own nearest and dearest.
It’s a shame that’s what it takes for basic empathy to kick in for some politicians but I’m glad that at least Francis Maude has had his eyes opened as to why section 28 was such a bad idea.
Now all we need is for the rest of the reactionary old-school tory ministers to have LGBT relatives they care about.

Spanner – you’ll really stop at nothing to defend the Tories, won’t you? There was no “right reason” behind Section 28. If they wanted to stop local authorities providing “inappropriate education” (however you define that – I’d love to hear some examples) the law would have targeted “inappropriate” homosexual and heterosexual material equally. But it didn’t. It was a specifically anti-gay measure motivated by nothing more than ignorance (if you’re being generous) or hate (if you’re not).

As a journalist at the time who covered the passage of section 28 through Parliament, I saw something rather different at work than crude “Tory homophobia”. The cabinet at that time simply used anti-gay sentiment amongst Daily Malevolents as one weapon to beat Labour local authorities with. The legislation had no practical effect – it did not actually cover schools at all whose teaching on homosexuality was controlled not by councils but by school governing bodies. A council in Kent stopped local pupils going to see Britten opera and a Scottish council cancelled an exhibition by a lesbian artist. But these were prejudiced little side swipes by petty and local Tory councillors – not coherent policy programmes.
The Conservatives simply did not give a damn who got hurt in the process but stirred up prejudice against gay people for electoral advantage.
And do leave poor Spanner alone. There are many gay people still who carry the scars of years of bullying. Like slave classes, there is a difficult period of adjustment when you do think of yourself as somehow less than human or not entitled to equal respect with others. It is cruel to blame victims like Spanner when our anger should be aimed at those in the medical profession, politcs and above all the church who anathematized gay people over centuries and produced internalized shame.

I respect dissenting opinions in most matters, but there is absolutely no excuse for Section 28. Not in the slightest.

“Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay.”

From the lips of that hateful hag herself, Thatcher. Section 28 was 100% pure hatred. Anything else those scumbags claim is just an excuse. What’s so “positive discrimination” about not brainwashing kids into the heterosexual agenda?

Anyway, as for relevant discussion, I agree with Ian Bower (1). I’d like to be more enthusiastic about the Tories’ conversion, but they’re still trailing. That’s exactly the problem I have with them. They turn up late and make no effort to catch up. They think being tolerant will suffice when acceptance is what we need. They’re allergic to progress and want to maintain the status quo at all costs. The only reason they even tolerate us now is because it’s the “in” thing to do. I wish I could be as optimistic as Spanner is about that. Maybe he’s right and it is a powerful bargaining chip at our disposal, but I’m always suspicious of fairweather friends.

PUMPKIN DEAREST, YOU ARE RIGHT TO BE SUSPICIOUS OF FAIRWEATHER FRIENDS…THE TORIES HAVE ENVEGLED THEIR WAY INTO POWER BY PURE STEALTH. THEY REALIZE TOO THAT GAYS HOLD A BIG VOTE COME ELECTION TIME AND PRO-GAY LEANINGS MAY WELL BE A DESPERATE MEASURE….OR AM I TALKING OUT OF MY HAT?